Location: Hybrid - Poole, Dorset

Hours: 30 hours per week (Monday–Friday, 09:00–15:00)

Salary: £30,000 – £39,000 pro rata (depending on experience)

About the Role

Kickstart Learning is a specialist tutoring, mentoring and alternative provision service supporting neurodivergent children and young people.

We are looking for a highly capable, proactive Operations & Executive Assistant to work closely with the Director to support the day-to-day running of the business.

This is a high-trust role. You will be relied upon to take ownership of systems, manage communication across the business and ensure that everything runs smoothly and to a high standard.

This is not a traditional admin role. We are looking for someone who can think, problem-solve and take responsibility rather than someone who waits to be told what to do.

Key Responsibilities

• Supporting the Director with managing workload, prioritising tasks and ensuring key actions are followed through
• Helping to structure and organise work to enable effective decision-making and reduce overload
• Acting as a gatekeeper where appropriate, filtering information and ensuring focus on priorities
• Managing and prioritising emails and communication
• Acting as a central point of coordination between staff, parents, schools and external professionals (e.g. accountant, HR, bookkeeper)
• Coordinating staff schedules, sessions and key information
• Chasing and organising session logs, reports and safeguarding information
• Supporting invoicing processes and tracking payments (QuickBooks)
• Maintaining highly organised systems (SharePoint, files, records)
• Supporting recruitment processes (e.g. posting roles, coordinating interviews, communication with candidates)
• Identifying issues early and proactively resolving them
• Ensuring all work is accurate, consistent and presented to a high standard

Working Style & Relationship

You will be working closely with a neurodivergent Director. This role requires someone who can:

• Adapt communication style depending on context
• Recognise when someone is overwhelmed and respond appropriately
• Know when to take initiative, when to prompt and when to step back
• Provide calm, clear support in high-pressure situations
• Listen carefully and ensure full understanding before acting

A key part of this role is helping the Director work effectively by bringing structure, clarity and organisation to a busy workload.

This is a role for someone with strong emotional intelligence, good judgement and a steady, confident approach.

What We’re Looking For

Essential

• Exceptional attention to detail
• Strong written English (spelling and grammar must be excellent)
• Highly organised and able to prioritise effectively
• Confident working independently and making decisions
• Proactive and solutions-focused
• Able to follow tasks through to completion without needing to be chased
• A confident, clear communicator who is also warm and professional
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Word (formatting, professional documents); Microsoft Excel (well-structured, organised spreadsheets); Microsoft Forms; SharePoint; and Canva (maintaining brand consistency and layout)

Highly Desirable

• Experience in an Executive Assistant, Operations or similar role
• Experience within education, SEND or working with children
• Understanding of, or interest in, neurodiversity

Important

• This role requires someone who takes ownership and can be relied upon without close supervision
• You will be expected to problem-solve and use initiative rather than relying on constant direction
• Accuracy, consistency and high standards are essential

We are looking for someone who values doing things properly, not just getting them done.

Application Process

Applications that appear overly generic or not reflective of the applicant’s own thinking are unlikely to be progressed.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a short task to assess attention to detail, organisation and communication.

Additional Information

• This is a hybrid role with some in-person working required in Poole, Dorset
• There may be occasional periods where additional hours are required (e.g. during busy times). These will be discussed in advance where possible